The Burning – The Review
Written by Nikki-ann on Saturday, 9 April , 2011 at 11:34 pm
Author: Jane Casey
Publisher: Ebury Press
ISBN: 978-0091936006
Four young women have been brutally beaten to death and then their bodies set alight in secluded area of London’s parks. The media are calling the murderer The Burning Man. Women are scared. Now, a fifth victim has been found.
Detective Constable Maeve Kerrigan is working on the case and is determined to bring the murderer to justice. With very little evidence and a killer no-one has seen, it isn’t going to be easy.
I chose this book from Amazon Vine because I thought it sounded like a great story. In fact, I was right, in a way. The Burning is a great storyline, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would have or should have. I think the way in which is story is executed was the issue.
Each chapter us told by a different person, mainly alternating between Maeve (the Detective Constable on The Burning Man case) and Louise (victim’s best friend), but with one or two others thrown in. I found it slightly off-putting to start with and found it to interrupt the flow of the story, making it slightly disjointed, especially when a chapter went through the same scene as the previous one but from another persons perspective. I did get used to it though.
Also, compared to the crime thriller books I’ve been reading lately, I didn’t find many twists & turns in the story, certainly none that stood out. Nothing shocked me, not even the reveal of the murderer. Excuse the pun, but I found the book to be somewhat of a slow-burner (although there are a couple of fast-paced parts to the story).
Despite my negative points in this review, I did somewhat enjoy reading The Burning. It’s a book I can’t really make up my mind on. I think I would have enjoyed it more had I only seen Maeve’s story. I have read books before where the chapters bounce back and forth between characters, but this time it didn’t work for me.
Onto more positive things… I warmed to the character of DC Maeve Kerrigan. I found her quite likeable and realistic. Another thing I liked was the use of newspaper articles at the end of the book to round-up the storylines. I also think there’s room for other books using the Maeve character (actually, I’ve just read that Jane Casey’s next book also features Maeve) and I’d certainly give them a go.
All in all, this is an OK book. It’s not one I’ve going to rave about, but I think it’s one that could divide readers opinions. Give it a go and see what you think (and let me know your thoughts).
Buy The Burning by Jane Casey from Amazon UK
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Please note: I received this book free through the Amazon
Comments (6)
Category: Books,Crime,Reviews,Thriller
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Comment by Komal Mansoor
Made Sunday, 10 of April , 2011 at 3:06 am
Hello,
Stopping by at ur site through Book Blogs. Ur review is very thorough and I really liked how u did not shy away from telling the negative points along with positives about the book.
Comment by Annie
Made Sunday, 10 of April , 2011 at 8:37 am
This one’s sitting on my shelf as well and I’m very interested in what you’ve said because I picked it up on the recommendation of other bloggers after having been less than convinced by the writing in her first book, ‘The Missing’. I was hoping she might have improved between books. There are a couple of others I ought to get to first, but I probably will still give this a go and then report back to you. I’m sorry, but I was less than impressed by the first Beckett. Do you think he improves with time?
Comment by Yvonne
Made Sunday, 10 of April , 2011 at 5:50 pm
Hi Nikki-ann,
I have both of Jane Casey’s books in my TBR pile somewhere, but between yours and Annie’s reviews, I may not be in too much of a rush to dig them out!!
I must admit, I did have to do a double-take on the cover picture, as at a quick glance, it looked more than a little similar to a book I bought last week … ‘The Executioner’ by Chris Carter.
Almost … but not quite. Just shows how easily the brain can be fooled!!
Comment by Beth Kemp
Made Sunday, 10 of April , 2011 at 8:30 pm
Interesting – and honest – review. Thanks for that – it’s not always easy to convey the less favourable aspects of a book, but I believe it is important. Sites with only gushy reviews aren’t as reliable, I feel, but I suppose it’s possible some people only review books they’ve loved.
Comment by Tom Cunliffe
Made Monday, 11 of April , 2011 at 8:05 am
Sounds like it was a bit of a disappointment. Nice review though
Comment by The Book Whisperer
Made Sunday, 17 of April , 2011 at 2:15 pm
I read this book last year and loved it, Nikki-ann. I think the blurb was somewhat misleading though as it wasn’t really about a serial killer at all, but sort of single white female. Still highly enjoyed it though and have bought her first book, The Missing, since.
